Iran Again Violates Nuclear Agreement; Adviser Indicates Trump Not Likely To Rip Up The Deal

Iran has again violated the nuclear agreement with six world powers that was brokered by the Obama Administration last year.

The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency reported Wednesday that the Islamic Republic had again produced too much heavy water, a material which is used to cool reactors that produce plutonium.

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Iran produced 143 metric tons of heavy water instead of the 130 tons that were allotted under the agreement that is better known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action.

In a confidential report to the UNIAEA members, the agency said Iran had violated the agreement and that “the breach was sensitive even beyond the technical uses of heavy water, especially since it was the second such breach since implementation of the deal curbing Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief,” Associated Press reported.

What happened next was beyond belief.

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While IAEA chief Yukiya Amano “expressed concerns” to top Iranian officials, the Obama administration again decided to play Iran’s lawyer.

Confronted with the latest Iranian violation of the nuclear deal, the administration responded by praising the Islamic Republic for not trying to hide the breach.

State Department spokesman Mark C. Toner repeatedly refused to acknowledge the Iranians had violated the JCPOA and instead said that “it was important to notice that Iran made no effort to hide from the IAEA what it was doing.”

“A couple of points to make on that. It’s important to note that Iran made no effort to hide this – hide what it was doing from the IAEA.

During the course of its ongoing heavy water production, Iran produced a little more heavy water than permitted but is now taking steps to address the issue by shipping a – the excess quantity out of the country, we expect in the coming days.

So the IAEA flagged us. Iran made no attempt to hide it, and they’re taking immediate steps to address it.”

When reporters pressed Toner to admit that Iran had violated the nuclear deal, the State Department spokesman repeatedly refused to use the word “violation” and said the Iranians were already addressing the issue.

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In the end, Toner said he wasn’t sure whether the excess quantity of heavy water constituted a formal violation.

“I’d have to look into that, to be honest with you. I mean, they certainly exceeded … their allowable amount of heavy water. Whether that constitutes, again, a formal violation of JCPOA writ large, I’m not certain about that,” Toner said

“Again, what’s important here is that this was detected, it was acknowledged, and they’re taking steps to address it,” he added.

On Thursday, Toner was asked if he had looked into the matter and if he now was able to determine “whether or not Iran not being in compliance with the agreement is a violation of the JCPOA.”

Toner said that he didn’t have “a straight-up answer” and that he was not going to use “the V-word necessary in this case.”

He then again defended Iran by whitewashing the violation and by pointing out that Iran was already addressing the matter.

The last time Iran was caught exceeding the 130 metric ton limit for the production of heavy water, the Obama Administration came up with “a brilliant solution” and ordered the U.S. Department of Energy to purchase 32 tons of heavy water from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

The move was criticized for three reasons.

First, the U.S. was now funding a part of Iran’s nuclear program that shouldn’t even exist, since it’s the infrastructure for the production of a nuclear weapon.

Second, it incentivized Iran to keep pushing the envelope on deal violations, since the administration responded by playing Iran’s lawyer.

An third, it incentivized Iran to keep overproducing heavy water to sell, since that raised capital.

President-elect Donald Trump has said he would rip up the JCPOA, which he called disastrous, but a close adviser to Trump now says that he will “review it.”

Walid Phares told the BBC that Trump “will take the agreement, review it, send it to Congress, demand from the Iranians to restore a few issues or change a few issues, and there will be a discussion. “

“It could be a tense discussion but the agreement as is right now — $750 billion to the Iranian regime without receiving much in return and increasing intervention in four countries — that is not going to be accepted by the Trump administration,” Phares added.